Inaugural World Table Tennis Series in Singapore moves into second week, as Round of 16 action continues
Singapore's Ethan Poh smashes the ball in the men's doubles match against 2019 World Championship finalists Alvaro Robles and Ovidiu Ionescu. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Singapore, 14 March 2022 – Singapore fans had reason to celebrate at the Singapore Smash World Table Tennis series yesterday with men’s doubles pair Clarence Chew and Ethan Poh defeating the 2019 World Championship finalists, Spaniard Alvaro Robles and Romanian Ovidiu Ionescu, 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 13-11).
Singapore's Goi Rui Xuan (left) and Wong Xin Ru in action against compatriots Zhou Jingyi and Ser Lin Qian in the Women's Doubles. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru were also triumphant, defeating compatriots Zhou Jingyi and Ser Lin Qian 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-9) in the women’s doubles.
Poh, 23, said: "We didn’t have much expectation coming into the match, we just wanted to play our game. They were once the World Championship finalists, so we knew we had nothing to lose; we just had to be aggressive and play our game, and I think it worked out well for us."
Singapore's Clarence Chew, first local born table tennis olympian, in action in the Men's Doubles at Singapore Smash 2022. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Singapore's Zeng Jian to face Olympic Champion
Singapore’s Zeng Jian take on Olympic champion Chen Meng in the women’s singles today, while Zeng and compatriot Lin Ye will also feature in the women’s doubles Round of 16 against Ni Xia Lian and Sarah De Nutte of Luxembourg.
Men’s world No. 1 Fan Zhendong of China will be in action as well, against Japan’s Masataka Morizono. The mixed doubles quarterfinalists for Singapore Smash were also confirmed after the Round of 16 matches on Sunday (13 March). The mixed doubles final will take place on Wednesday, 16 March.
Singapore's Wong Xin Ru in action in the Women's Doubles at Singapore Smash 2022. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Thrilling Contests
Meanwhile, there were other thrilling table tennis contests on show at Singapore Smash yesterday too at the OCBC Arena, as world No. 12 Darko Jorgic of Slovenia prevailed 3-2 (10-12, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10) over young Chinese rising star Lin Shidong in an action-packed encounter. World No. 42 Benedikt Duda recorded an upset over world No. 14 Truls Moregard, defeating the World Championship runner-up 3-2 (8-11, 11-3, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7).
Darko Jorgic of Slovenia prevailed 3-2 over young Chinese Rising Star Lin Shidong at the Singapore Smash 2022. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Jorgic, 23, will next face Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei. He said: "I always believed (I could win) from the beginning. But when (Lin Shidong) was 2-1 up, I told my coach I had to change something, I was playing passively and putting the ball on the table, and I had to be more aggressive as well. (For my next match) I will just watch some videos, speak with my coach and try to relax as well, and then we will see. I’ll give my best and try to win."
Benedikt Duda scored an upset over World No. 14 Truls Moregard at Singapore Smash 2022. PHOTO: WORLD TABLE TENNIS
Duda, 27, said of his achievement: "Truls is a very talented guy. He improved a lot over the past years – I think four years ago at the German Open, I lost 4-0 to him and he was a junior then; he was also runner-up at the World Championships a few months ago in Houston. I wanted to avenge that loss as I’ve also improved a lot, and luckily I won today."
The German’s next opponent is Swede Kristian Karlsson, who defeated giant killer Joao Geraldo of Portugal with a 3-1 (12-14, 12-10, 11-9, 12-10) win. World No. 62 Geraldo had earlier staged an upset over world No. 3 Hugo Calderano on the first day of the event.
Karlsson, the world No. 28, said: "It was a tough match against a very strong opponent — he beat the World No. 3. He seems to be in good shape and it was a very tactical match from both sides. The one who managed to attack and press the balls had an advantage. All four sets were very close and I managed to win three. The small margins were on my side today, so I’m very happy."
The match schedule for Infinity Arena (Hall 1) on Mon, 14 March is as follows:
From 2pm
WS – TAKAHASHI Bruna (BRA) vs CHENG I-Ching (TPE)
MS – WONG Chun Ting (HKG) vs FRANZISKA Patrick (GER)
WS – CHEN Szu-Yu (TPE) vs (3) ITO Mima (JPN)
MS – (1) FAN Zhendong (CHN) vs MORIZONO Masataka (JPN)
From 7pm
WS – ZENG Jian (SGP) vs (2) CHEN Meng (CHN)
MS – PERSSON Jon (SWE) vs (8) XU Xin (CHN)
WS – (5) WANG Yidi (CHN) vs HIRANO Miu (JPN)
MS – UDA Yukiya (JPN) vs (7) BOLL Timo (GER)
Full results, draws and match schedules are available at www.worldtabletennis.com.
Main draw matches are ongoing till 20 March, with tickets priced from $18. Ticket packages including day passes for the main draw are available from $35. More information can be found at www.sistic.com.sg.